The Nigeria Police Force says it has raided facilities allegedly used to manipulate online discussions ahead of the 2027 general elections and arrested a suspect accused of circulating false information about a political candidate.
The disclosure was made by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Bashir Abdullahi, who represented the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, at a webinar organised by the PUNCH Media Foundation on Wednesday.
The webinar was themed “AI, Misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Safeguarding the Truth, Protecting the Vote.”
Abdullahi explained that the facilities, known as phone farms, contained multiple mobile phones and automated accounts used to create the impression that large numbers of people were discussing or promoting particular issues online.
He said the police discovered the facilities while investigating alleged attempts by some individuals to interfere with the electoral process.
“We have recently come across information regarding the coordinated effort being made by some individuals to see that they tamper with our elections. Having dissected the information, we were able to carry out targeted raids at phone farms,” he said.
According to him, operators of the facilities use several phones and bots to circulate messages simultaneously, thereby manipulating online conversations and public perception.
He added, “Meanwhile, it is just an individual behind hundreds of phones, arranged in what they call a phone farm, so that they can manipulate the system. The police were able to disrupt this.”
The police chief’s representative also disclosed that a suspect was in custody over the alleged circulation of misleading information about a candidate from the South-South region.
He accused the suspect of spreading claims about activities that had not taken place, allegedly to influence voters’ perceptions and damage the candidate’s reputation.
“As I am talking to you now, we have somebody in our custody who came up with this kind of information regarding one of the candidates from the South-South part of the country,” Abdullahi said.
He explained that the police traced the source of the information following an investigation into the complaint and subsequently arrested the suspect.
Abdullahi warned that individuals found responsible for spreading false information capable of disrupting the electoral process would face investigation and prosecution.
“What we are doing now is, first of all, to send the message that the police are ready to arrest any person found spreading false information.
“Two, we are going to carry out investigations. Three, we will ensure that such a person is prosecuted,” he said.
On the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate election-related content, Abdullahi said the police had acquired digital tools capable of detecting deepfake videos, altered photographs and cloned audio recordings with up to 99 per cent accuracy.
He identified AI-generated images, videos and voice recordings as potential threats to the 2027 elections, noting that such content could falsely portray candidates, public officials and electoral authorities as making statements they never made.
He said the police were also conducting digital forensic examinations of audio recordings, photographs and videos shared on social media to establish their authenticity.
Abdullahi further disclosed that an election monitoring room had been established, while intelligence gathering had commenced ahead of the polls.
However, he stressed that the police would respect citizens’ right to express legitimate opinions, adding that enforcement actions would be based on applicable laws.
“If the relevant legal elements are not established, we cannot go out and disrupt the peaceful conduct of public opinion. We cannot do that,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to verify election-related announcements through the Independent National Electoral Commission, particularly claims concerning changes to the election timetable.
